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Conditioning

Conditioning is a learning process in which an organism's behavior becomes dependent on the occurrence of a stimulus in its environment. In physiology, it is a behavioral process whereby a response becomes more frequent or more predictable in a given environment as a result of reinforcement, with reinforcement typically being a stimulus or reward for a desired response.

Conditioning for sports is a physical or psychological training that prepares the athlete for a specific sport. It is usually defined as a systemic process of repetitive, progressive exercise or work, involving the learning process and acclimatization. Through the use of systemic work increments, improved voluntary responses by the organs are attained. Through constant repetition, the conscious movements become more reflexive, requiring less concentration by the higher nerve centers, and this reduces the amount of energy expended by eliminating unnecessary movement for the performance of the desired task.

Conditioning for sports participation prepares the athlete for high-level performance and reduces the likelihood of injury. A considerable number of injury etiologies are directly attributable to insufficient or improper conditioning. Some of these causes include inadequate cardiovascular or muscular endurance; inadequate muscle, tendinous, or ligamentous strength; inflexibility; poor body composition; faulty neuromuscular coordination; and muscular imbalance. Modern sports programs often require elaborate conditioning facilities and equipment for injury prevention.

Principles of Conditioning

The following principles should be applied in all programs of training and conditioning to minimize the likelihood of injury: warm-up/cooldown, motivation, overload, consistency, progression, intensity, specificity, individuality, minimization of stress, and safety.

Warm-Up/Cooldown

The main purposes of warming up are to raise the general body and the deep muscle temperatures and to stretch collagenous tissues to permit greater flexibility. This reduces the possibility of muscle tears and ligamentous sprains and helps prevent muscle soreness. It takes at least 15 to 30 minutes of gradual warm-up to bring the body to a state of readiness. The time needed for satisfactory warm-up varies with the individual and tends to increase with age.

Cooling down is the gradual diminishing of work intensity, which permits the return of both circulation and various other body functions to pre-exercise levels. Gradual cooldown is recommended because it decreases blood and muscle lactic acid levels more rapidly than just allowing passive recovery. Cooling down also keeps the heart pump and muscle pumps active, preventing blood from pooling in the extremities. When cooling down, it is recommended to allow 30 seconds to 1 minute for jogging, followed by 5 minutes of walking to permit the body to adjust to the nonexercise mode.

Motivation

Athletes who are highly motivated tend to be very self-confident about their abilities. Thoughts that come into an athlete's mind during competition can be either positive or negative. The athlete must learn to control his or her thoughts and to structure them to his or her advantage. By varying the training program and incorporating different aspects of conditioning, the program can remain enjoyable rather than becoming routine and boring. An athlete's motivation to improve may come from within or may be the result of coaching demands.

Overload

The principle of overload states that a greater than normal stress or load on the body is required for training adaptation to take place. The body will adapt to this stimulus. Once the body has adapted, then a different stimulus is required to continue the change. For a muscle (including the heart) to increase its strength, it must be gradually stressed by working against a load greater than it is accustomed to. To increase endurance, muscles must work for a longer period of time than they are accustomed to. If this stress is removed or decreased, there will be a decrease in that particular component of fitness. Keeping a workout stimulus status quo will maintain the current fitness but not improve it.

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